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The Washington Capitals enter Thursday’s matchup seeking their third straight victory after a decisive offensive surge, while the Montreal Canadiens attempt to stabilize following a slide that has undone their strong start. These teams met in last spring’s opening round, when Washington eliminated Montreal in five games; however, both clubs now face distinctly different challenges at the quarter pole of the current season. Montreal opened with nine wins in its first 12 games but has since dropped four straight (0-3-1) and six of seven overall. Key injuries, defensive breakdowns and a sharp drop in goal scoring have fueled the skid. Still, the Canadiens’ last two losses have been tight, including Monday’s shootout defeat in Columbus in which they erased a

The first team-page links belong in this opening paragraph: the Tampa Bay Lightning return home looking to build on a sharp special-teams rebound, while the Edmonton Oilers continue a challenging road stretch that has exposed both their offensive firepower and defensive inconsistency. Tampa Bay enters Thursday’s matchup seeking stability on the power play after a sluggish 1-for-11 stretch, while Edmonton tries to find emotional and tactical footing midway through a seven-game trip. Tampa Bay corrected course Tuesday night with a 5-1 win over New Jersey—its best power-play showing in nearly two weeks. Jake Guentzel produced two goals with the man advantage, part of a hat trick performance, and the Lightning executed clean entries, won faceoffs and regained structure without head

Anaheim enters Thursday night with one of the NHL’s most surprising early-season profiles: a first-place position in the Pacific Division and a flawless six-game home winning streak. The first team-page hyperlinks appear here: the Anaheim Ducks return to Honda Center after a gutsy 4-3 win over Boston, while the Ottawa Senators open a seven-game road swing seeking consistency following a 1-0 loss to the Kings. Anaheim’s latest win captured the club’s evolution. Once a young, inconsistent group, the Ducks now show poise in one-goal games—highlighted by Ian Moore’s late winner and a resilient response after surrendering a two-goal lead. Ryan Strome’s postgame comments echoed the emerging identity: execution is still developing, but this team now knows how to win. With

A rematch in name only, Friday’s top-25 showdown in Salt Lake City brings together two teams whose identities have shifted dramatically since BYU edged Wisconsin 91-89 in last season’s NCAA Tournament. The first team-page hyperlinks go here: the BYU Cougars enter at 3-1 after a narrow loss to UConn, while the Wisconsin Badgers come in at 4-0 after a dominant homestand. While both programs return rotation pieces from that March meeting, their early-season trajectories and roster compositions have shifted. BYU has wrapped a talented freshman class around its veteran core, highlighted by star newcomer AJ Dybantsa, who has quickly emerged as a primary option. Wisconsin, meanwhile, has restocked with a combination of internal development and high-impact transfers, creating a more